Information processing device, information processing system, content image generating method, and content data generating method

ABSTRACT

A game executing section  112  performs a game program. A status data notifying section  116  notifies a download processing section  120  of status data indicative of the status of game execution of the currently executed game program. A request transmitting section  146  transmits to a content server a search request including the status data as metadata. A candidate image generating section  136  generates images regarding a plurality of content candidates resulting from search through the server. A content image generating section 138 generates an image of the selected content.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a technique for viewing content imagessuch as those of games and a technique for implementing the viewing ofcontent images.

BACKGROUND ART

Various social networking services (SNS) are currently utilized by largenumbers of people as their communication tool. Services that allowvideos generated or captured by users to be shared by other users havealso gained widespread use. These services enable users to share diverseinformation with other users on networks. Video-sharing sites offer anenvironment in which users post videos and view videos.

SUMMARY Technical Problem

When posting a video to a video-sharing site, the user inputs metadatasuch as a title and a comment and sends them to the site along with thevideo data. When viewing a video, the user inputs a search keyword tothe video-sharing site to get a list of retrieved videos. Selecting adesired video from the video list causes the video data to bedistributed.

One problem with the existing video-sharing services is that the usergenerally has a hard time gaining access to the desired video. Onereason for this problem is that it is difficult for the user to input anappropriate search keyword at the time of retrieving a video. Anotherreason is that the videos posted to the video-sharing site are typicallydevoid of appropriate metadata. Although the existing video-sharingsites have large numbers of accumulated videos, the sites have haddifficulty offering videos as desired by users.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide techniquesfor generating an environment that allows content images matching auser's status to be offered.

Solution to Problem

In solving the above problem and according to one mode of the presentinvention, there is provided an information processing device including:a metadata acquiring section that acquires metadata indicative of thestatus of application execution from a currently executed application; arequest transmitting section that transmits to a server a search requestfor content including metadata; a content acquiring section thatacquires content data from the server; and an image generating sectionthat generates an image of the acquired content.

According to another mode of the present invention, there is provided aninformation processing system including an information processing deviceand a server connected with one another via a network. The informationprocessing device includes: a metadata acquiring section that acquiresmetadata indicative of the status of application execution from acurrently executed application; a request transmitting section thattransmits to a server a search request for content including metadata; asearch result acquiring section that acquires the result of contentsearch from the server; a first image generating section that generatesimages regarding a plurality of content items as the result of search inthe server; a content acquiring section that acquires content data fromthe server; and a second image generating section that generates animage of the acquired content. The server includes: a content recordingsection that records the content data; a search processing section thatsearches for content on the basis of the metadata included in the searchrequest; a first transmitting section that transmits the result ofcontent search; and a second transmitting section that transmits thecontent data.

According to a further mode of the present invention, there is providedan information processing device including: a recording section thatrecords image data of a currently executed application; a metadataacquiring section that acquires metadata indicative of the status ofapplication execution from the currently executed application; and acontent generating section that extracts, as content data, applicationimage data ranging from a start point to an end point from theapplication image data recorded in the recording section. The contentgenerating section attaches to the content data the metadata over aperiod from the start point to the end point.

According to an even further mode of the present invention, there isprovided an information processing device including: a transmissionprocessing section that transmits image data of a currently executedapplication to a server; and a metadata acquiring section that acquiresmetadata indicative of the status of application execution from thecurrently executed application. The transmission processing sectiontransmits to the server the metadata acquired by the metadata acquiringsection while the application image data is being transmitted to theserver.

According to a still further mode of the present invention, there isprovided a content image generating method including: a step ofacquiring metadata indicative of the status of application executionfrom a currently executed application; a step of transmitting a searchrequest for content including metadata; a step of acquiring contentdata; and a step of generating an image of the acquired content.

According to a yet further mode of the present invention, there isprovided a content data generating method including: a step of acquiringmetadata indicative of the status of application execution from acurrently executed application; a step of extracting, as content data,image data ranging from a start point to an end point from a recordingsection recording the image data of the currently executed application;and a step of attaching to the content data the metadata over a periodfrom the start point to the end point.

Where other combinations of the above-outlined composing elements or theabove expressions of the present invention are converted betweendifferent forms such as a method, a device, a system, a recordingmedium, and a computer program, they still constitute effective modes ofthis invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an information processing system asan embodiment of the present invention.

(a) is a schematic view showing a top side external configuration of aninput device, and (b) is a schematic view showing a back side externalconfiguration of the input device.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an information processingdevice.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an internal structure of aninformation processing device that implements a content transmittingfunction.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a typical game screen.

(a) is a schematic view showing that the time at which an event occurredbecomes a start point according to which content data is extracted, and(b) is a schematic view showing that two event codes designate a startpoint and an end point.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a typical editing screen superimposedon a game screen.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing an internal structure of an editingserver.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing an internal structure of aninformation processing device that implements a content receivingfunction.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a typical game screen.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing an internal structure of a contentserver.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a typical search result screen.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing a typical downloaded play video.

FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing another typical downloaded playvideo.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows an information processing system 1 as one embodiment of thepresent invention. The information processing system 1 includes aninformation processing device 10 for use by a user A, informationprocessing devices 5 a and 5 b for use by other users, and a contentserver 12. These components are interconnected via network 3 such as theInternet or a local area network (LAN). The content server 12 offersservices related to content such as game videos. Here, the contentserver 12 is conceived as an entity that integrates a distributionserver 14, an editing server 16, and a search server 18. Thedistribution server 14 offers the service of distributing applicationimages such as game videos to users. For example, the distributionserver 14 may be a video-sharing site distributing user-posted videodata and the video data edited by the editing server 16. The editingserver 16 offers the service of editing the video data provided byusers. The search server 18 offers the service of presenting a user withvideo candidates that may be provided by the distribution server 14 inresponse to a video search request from the user.

The distribution server 14, editing server 16, and search server 18 maybe configured as separate servers communicating with one another via thenetwork 3. Alternatively, all of these servers may be integrated intoone server; the distribution server 14 and editing server 16 may beintegrated into one server; the distribution server 14 and search server18 may be integrated into one server; or the editing server 16 andsearch server 18 may be integrated into one server. For example, if thedistribution server 14 has only the simple function of storing videodata and distributing the user-designated video data, then the editingserver 16 and search server 18 may be configured to be intelligentservers for processing the metadata attached to the video data. If themetadata about videos is not embedded in the video data, the editingserver 16 or the search server 18 may accumulate the metadata about thevideo data apart from the video data accumulated by the distributionserver 14 in order to perform the process of editing or retrieving thevideo data.

An access point (AP) 8 has the functions of a wireless access point anda router. The information processing device 10 is connected to the AP 8in wireless or wired fashion for communicable connection to the contentserver 12 on the network 3. The information processing devices 5 a and 5b (also generically called the information processing device 5 if thereis no need to distinguish them from each other) are likewise connectedcommunicably to the content server 12. The information processingdevices 10 and 5 may be of the same type or may be of a different devicetype each. The information processing devices 10 and 5 need only becapable of at least receiving content from the content server 12 andreproducing and displaying the received content.

The information processing device 10 is connected in wireless or wiredfashion to an input device 6 operated by the user. The input device 6outputs to the information processing device 10 operating informationindicative of the result of the user's operation. Upon receipt of theoperating information from the input device 6, the informationprocessing device 10 gets the received information reflected in theprocessing of system software or application software and causes anoutput device 4 to output the processing result. In the informationprocessing system 1, the information processing device 10 may be a gamedevice that executes games, and the input device 6 may be a gamecontroller or like device that supplies the information processingdevice 10 with the operating information from the user. In order to playa game, the user logs in to the operating system (OS; also known assystem software) of the information processing device 10. The login useris managed by a user account registered in the information processingdevice 10.

The distribution server 14 offers the service of allowing the image datauploaded from the information processing devices 10 and 5 to be shared.In response to a request from the user, the distribution server 14provides on-demand distribution of accumulated image data. Thedistribution server 14 also has the function of distributing live theimage data provided in real time from the user. In the informationprocessing system 1, the number of distribution servers 14 is notlimited to one; there may be provided two or more distribution servers14. The image distributing service provided by the distribution server14 may be limited to registered members only, or may be open to thepublic.

The editing server 16 has the function of editing image data provided bythe user. For example, on the basis of event codes identifying an eventthat has occurred in an application, the editing server 16 extracts theportion of image data corresponding to the event codes as content dataand generates edited content data. The event codes, along with theaccompanying time information, determine a start point and an end pointaccording to which content data is extracted from image data. Theediting server 16 extracts content data on the basis of the event codes.For example, the editing server 16 may extract from a baseball gamevideo a scene in which the batter hit a homerun to generate an eventvideo (content) lasting a predetermined time period (e.g., 10 seconds).On the basis of the event codes indicating the homerun hit during thebaseball game, along with the accompanying time information, the editingserver 16 determines the start point and end point of the scene to beextracted from the recorded video data about baseball game plays, andextracts the scene of the homerun hit from the video data to generate ahomerun video. The editing server 16 may edit images on time using theevent codes and the image data provided by the user in real time.Alternatively, after all image data and event codes have been provided,the editing server 16 may edit the images in batches or in a suitablytimed manner as needed. The editing server 16 feeds the generatedcontent data to the distribution server 14 so that the latter candistribute the data.

On receiving a content search request from the user, the search server18 searches for the requested content by referencing the metadata aboutthe content recorded in the distribution server 14. The content searchrequest includes information indicative of the user's status such as thestatus data about the game currently played by the user. The searchserver 18 compares the status data with the content metadata to searchfor a game video that matches the user's status. In order to improve theefficiency of search, the search server 18 may link the content metadatato content identifiers (IDs) in its storage.

An auxiliary storage device 2 is a mass storage device such as a harddisk drive (HDD) or a flash memory. The auxiliary storage device 2 maybe an external storage device connected to the information processingdevice 10 via a universal serial bus (USB), for example. Alternatively,the auxiliary storage device 2 may be an internal storage device. Theoutput device 4 may be a television set that has a display unitconfigured to output images and speakers for outputting sound.Alternatively, the output device 4 may be a computer display. The outputdevice 4 may be connected to the information processing device 10wirelessly or by cable.

A camera 7 is an imaging device installed near the output device 4 toimage the space nearby. Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which thecamera 7 is attached to the top of the output device 4, the camera 7 maybe set up alternatively beside the output device 4. In any case, thecamera 7 is positioned in a manner imaging the user playing a game infront of the output device 4. The camera 7 may be a stereo camera. Theinput device 6 is configured to have a plurality of input sectionsincluding multiple operating push-buttons, analog sticks capable ofinputting analog quantities, and rotary buttons.

The button configuration of the input device 6 is explained below.

Configuration of the Top Side

FIG. 2(a) shows a top side external configuration of the input device.To operate the input device 6, the user holds a left-side grip 78 b bythe left hand and a right-side grip 78 a by the right hand. Arrow keys71, analog sticks 77 a and 77 b, and four operation buttons 76 areprovided on the housing top of the input device 6 as the input sections.The four buttons 72 to 75 are distinguished from each other by the colorand shape marked on them. That is, the ◯ button 72 is marked with a redcircle, the × button 73 with a blue cross, the □ button 74 with a purplerectangle, and the Δ button 75 with a green triangle. A touch pad 79 isprovided in a flat area between the arrow keys 71 and the operationbuttons 76 on the housing top. The touch pad 79 also functions as adepressable button that is depressed when pressed by the user andreturns to its initial position when released.

A function button 80 is provided between the two analog sticks 77 a and77 b. The function button 80 is used to apply power to the input device6 and to activate simultaneously a communicating function connecting theinput device 6 to the information processing device 10. After the inputdevice 6 is connected to the information processing device 10, thefunction button 80 is also used to display a menu screen on theinformation processing device 10.

A SHARE button 81 is provided between the touch pad 79 and the arrowkeys 71. The SHARE button 81 is used to input the user's instructions tothe OS or system software of the information processing device 10. AnOPTIONS button 82 is provided between the touch pad 79 and the operationbuttons 76. The OPTIONS button 82 is used to input the user'sinstructions to an application (game) executed by the informationprocessing device 10. The SHARE button 81 and the OPTIONS button 82 mayeach be formed as a push-button.

Configuration of the Back Side

FIG. 2(b) shows a back side external configuration of the input device.The touch pad 79 extends from the housing top onto the housing back sideof the input device 6. A horizontally elongated light-emitting section85 is provided toward the bottom of the housing back side. Thelight-emitting section 85 has red (R), green (G), and blue (B)light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and is illuminated in accordance withluminescent color information sent from the information processingdevice 10.

On the housing back side, an upper button 83 a and a lower button 84 aare positioned in symmetric relation to an upper button 83 b and a lowerbutton 84 b in a longitudinal direction. The upper button 83 a and thelower button 84 a are operated by the index finger and the middlefinger, respectively, of the user's right hand. The upper button 83 band the lower button 84 b are operated by the index finger and themiddle finger, respectively, of the user's left hand. As illustrated,the light-emitting section 85 is positioned between a right-side bank ofthe upper button 83 a and lower button 84 a and a left-side bank of theupper button 83 b and lower button 84 b. This arrangement prevents thelight-emitting section 85 from being hidden by the index fingers ormiddle fingers operating the buttons. That in turn allows the camera 7suitably to image the light-emitting section 85 being illuminated. Theupper buttons 83 may be formed as a push-button each and the lowerbuttons 84 as a pivotably supported trigger button each.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the information processingdevice 10. The information processing device 10 is configured to have amain power button 20, a power-on LED 21, a standby LED 22, a systemcontroller 24, a clock 26, a device controller 30, a media drive 32, aUSB module 34, a flash memory 36, a wireless communication module 38, awired communication module 40, a subsystem 50, and a main system 60.

The main system 60 includes a main central processing unit (CPU), a mainmemory equipped with a memory controller, and a graphics processing unit(GPU). The GPU is used primarily for arithmetically processing gameprograms. These functions may be configured as a system-on-chip andformed on a single chip. The main CPU has the function of executing gameprograms recorded in the auxiliary storage device 2.

The subsystem 50 includes a sub CPU and a main memory equipped with amemory controller. The subsystem 50 has no GPU and does not have thefunction of executing game programs. The number of circuit gates in thesub CPU is smaller than in the main CPU. The operating power consumptionof the sub CPU is less than that of the main CPU. The sub CPU continuesto operate when the main CPU is in a standby state. For this reason, theprocessing functions of the sub CPU are limited so as to minimize itspower consumption.

The main power button 20 is an input section to which the user performsoperation input. Positioned on the housing front of the informationprocessing device 10, the main power button 20 is operated to turn on oroff the supply of power to the main system 60 of the informationprocessing device 10. The power-on LED 21 is illuminated when the mainpower button 20 is turned on. The standby LED 22 is illuminated when themain power button 20 is turned off.

The system controller 24 detects whether the main power button 20 ispressed by the user. With the main power turned off, pressing the mainpower button 20 causes the system controller 24 to acquire the pressingoperation as an “ON instruction.” With the main power turned on,pressing the main power button 20 causes the system controller 24 toacquire the pressing operation as an “OFF instruction.”

The clock 26 is a real-time clock that generates current date and timeinformation and supplies the generated information to the systemcontroller 24, subsystem 50, and main system 60.

The device controller 30 is configured as a large-scale integratedcircuit (LSI) which, like a southbridge, permits transfer of informationbetween devices. As illustrated, the device controller 30 is connectedwith such devices as the system controller 24, media drive 32, USBmodule 34, flash memory 36, wireless communication module 38, wiredcommunication module 40, subsystem 50, and main system 60. The devicecontroller 30 buffers differences in electrical characteristics and indata transfer rates between the connected devices and thereby controlsthe timing of data transfer.

The media drive 32 is a drive device which is loaded with a read-onlymemory (ROM) medium 44 carrying application software such as games andlicense information and which drives the loaded ROM medium 44 to readprograms and data therefrom. The ROM medium 44 is a read-only recordingmedium such as an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a Blu-raydisk.

The USB module 34 is connected to an external device by means of a USBcable. The USB module 34 may be connected to the auxiliary storagedevice 2 and to the camera 7 by USB cable. The flash memory 36 is anauxiliary storage device that constitutes an internal storage. Thewireless communication module 38 communicates wirelessly with the inputdevice 6, for example, under communication protocols such as theBluetooth (registered trademark) protocol or the Institute of Electricaland Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 protocol. The wirelesscommunication module 38 may support a third-generation digital mobilephone system complying with the International Mobile Telecommunication2000 (IMT-2000) standard stipulated by the InternationalTelecommunication Union (ITU), or support a digital mobile phone systemof another generation. The wired communication module 40 communicates bywire with an external device. For example, the wired communicationmodule 40 is connected to the network 3 by way of the AP 8.

The information processing device 10 of this embodiment has the functionof transmitting content to the content server 12 and the function ofreceiving content therefrom. These two functions are explained below.

<Content Transmitting Function>

The information processing device 10 has the function of transmittingcontent to the content server 12 for on-demand distribution thereby andof transmitting content to the content server 12 for live distributionthereby. FIG. 4 shows an internal structure of the informationprocessing device 10 that implements the content transmitting function.The information processing device 10 has a processing section 100 and acommunicating section 102. The processing section 100 includes anapplication processing section 110, an image generating section 130, acontent generating section 150, a recording section 170, and a sharingprocessing section 190. The application processing section 110 performsprocesses on applications. The image generating section 130 performs theprocess of generating images for display on the output device 4. Thecontent generating section 150 performs processes on the editing ofapplication images. The recording section 170 performs the process ofrecording application image data for up to a predetermined time period.The sharing processing section 190 performs the process of transmittingapplication image data to the content server 12.

The components shown in FIG. 4 as the functional blocks configured toperform diverse processes may be configured by hardware in the form ofcircuit blocks, memories, and LSI for example, or by software usingprograms loaded into a memory for example. It will thus be appreciatedby those skilled in the art that these functional blocks are configuredby hardware only, by software only, or by a combination thereof indiverse forms and are not limited to any one of such forms.

In the information processing system 1 of this embodiment, thecommunicating section 102 receives the information input by the useroperating an input section of the input device 6 (the information may becalled the operating information hereunder where appropriate). Thecommunicating section 102 also transmits to the content server 12 theimage data generated or acquired by the processing section 100. Theimage data includes at least the image data generated by the imagegenerating section 130 and the image data (content data) edited by thecontent generating section 150. The communicating section 102 isconfigured to have the functions of both the wireless communicationmodule 38 and the wired communication module 40 shown in FIG. 3. Thewireless communication module 38 handles communication with the inputdevice 6, and the wired communication modules 40 deals withcommunication with the content server 12.

The application processing section 110 includes a game executing section112, an event code notifying section 114, and a status data notifyingsection 116. The game executing section 112 has the function ofexecuting programs to make the game proceed in response to the user'soperation input through the input device 6. When a predetermined eventtakes place during execution of the game, the event code notifyingsection 114 outputs information identifying the event (called the eventcode hereunder) to the content generating section 150. Incidentally,events are set in each game. For example, a baseball game may haveevents such as “bases loaded with two outs,” “overtaking the opponent's2-point lead in an inning,” “base stolen,” and “homer hit” set therein.The event code notifying section 114 has the function of notifying thecontent generating section 150 of the event code of any of such setevents when it takes place. The status data notifying section 116notifies the content generating section 150 of the status data about thegame. The status data notifying section 116 may notify the contentgenerating section 150 of the status data in response to a request fromthe latter. Alternatively, upon a change in the status for example, thestatus data notifying section 116 may notify the content generatingsection 150 of the changed status data. At this time, the status datanotifying section 116 may give notification of the status dataconstituting the difference between the unchanged and the changed statusdata. Alternatively, the status data notifying section 116 may collectall changed status data and give notification thereof.

The game executing section 112 performs arithmetic processing to movegame characters in a virtual space on the basis of the operatinginformation input by the user through the input device 6. In thismanner, the game executing section 112 may be configured as a conceptthat includes the application (game program) itself. A game imagegenerating section 132 may be a GPU executing the rendering process, forexample. Upon receipt of the result of processing from the gameexecuting section 112, the game image generating section 132 generatesthe image data about the application (game) to be displayed on theoutput device 4. FIG. 5 shows a typical game screen displayed on theoutput device 4. Although the game executing section 112 executes gameprograms in this embodiment, the game executing section 112 mayalternatively execute other kinds of application programs.

In the information processing device 10, the recording section 170includes a recording controlling section 172, a writing/reading section174, and a ring buffer 176. The recording section 170 has the functionof recording in the background the images to be displayed on the outputdevice 4. The game image generating section 132 generates game imagedata and displays the generated image data on the display device 4,whereas the recording section 170 records the image data in thebackground.

The recording controlling section 172 controls the writing/readingsection 174 to write and read data. The writing/reading section 174writes or reads data to or from the ring buffer 176. The backgroundrecording by the recording section 170 is carried out in the ring buffer176. The recording controlling section 172 generates the ring buffer 176by setting a starting address and an ending address of the storage areain the auxiliary storage device 2. The ring buffer area may be set upbeforehand at the shipment of the information processing device 10 fromthe factory. The recording controlling section 172 records to the ringbuffer 176 the image data generated by the game image generating section132 regarding the currently executed application. The recordingcontrolling section 172 records to the ring buffer 176 the image data ina predetermined address sequence from the starting address on. Uponcompletion of the recording up to the ending address, the recordingcontrolling section 172 returns to the starting address to startoverwriting, and repeats the process. For example, the ring buffer 176is set to record game images for up to 30 minutes. The recorded gameimages are provided with time information (timestamp). The timestamp maybe given by the OS of the information processing device 10. With thedisplay image data recorded to the ring buffer 176 in the background,the content generating section 150 can, upon occurrence of an eventduring the game, generate the content data that includes past image databefore the event.

FIG. 5 shows a baseball game execution screen. The user is playing thebaseball game here by operating the input device 6. Suppose now thatwhile the game is in progress, an event set in the game program occurs.In that case, the event code notifying section 114 notifies the contentgenerating section 150 of the event code of that event. For example, theevent taking place may be any one of such diverse events as “basesloaded with two outs,” “overtaking the opponent's 2-point lead in aninning,” “base stolen,” and “homer hit.” The diverse events set in thegame contribute to providing a more fulfilling game image sharingservice.

For example, if the baseball game comes bases loaded with two outs, theevent code notifying section 114 notifies the content generating section150 of the event code indicating the “bases loaded with two outs” eventtogether with time information indicative of the event occurrence time.Thus a metadata acquiring section 154 automatically acquires from thecurrently executed application (game program) the event code indicatingthe occurrence of any of the events set in the application, along withthe time information about the event. The event codes constitute themetadata attached to the content data, as will be discussed later.

When notified of an event code, the metadata acquiring section 154requests notification of current status data from the status datanotifying section 116. The status data notifying section 116 collectsthe status data indicating the status of execution of the application atthe time of receiving the request. The status data notifying section 116then notifies the metadata acquiring section 154 of the collected statusdata along with the time information indicative of the collectiontiming. Thus the metadata acquiring section 154 acquires as metadata thestatus data notified by the currently executed application (gameprogram).

For example, the status data includes a scene ID identifying the scenein which the game is played. In the baseball game, the status data mayfurther include user team information, opponent team information, inninginformation, batter information, and opponent pitcher information. Thestatus data collected by the status data notifying section 116 isattached as metadata to the content uploaded to the content server 12,as will be discussed later. The content server 12 then uses the statusdata for content search. For this reason, the game program is configuredto let the status data notifying section 116 collect a variety of statusdata, which improves the granularity of the search by the content server12.

As described above, the ring buffer 176 records the game images of thepast 30 minutes. The ring buffer 176 is successively overwritten in realtime with the latest game images. Timestamps are attached to the gameimages recorded in the ring buffer 176. An editing processing section156 waits for completion of the recording of the image data for apredetermined time period (e.g., one minute) from the start pointdesignated by the time information about the event occurrence time tothe ring buffer 176. With the recording completed, the editingprocessing section 156 reads from the ring buffer 176 the image dataranging from the start point to the end point identified by the eventcode and by the time information about the event occurrence time. Theediting processing section 156 extracts the image data as the contentdata about the bases-loaded-with-two-outs event.

The editing processing section 156 attaches the metadata acquired by themetadata acquiring section 154 to the content data. At this time, byreferencing the time information indicative of the timing at which thestatus data was collected, the editing processing section 156 attachesthe status data collected over the period between the start point andthe end point from which the content data was extracted, as metadata tothe content data. When the editing processing section 156 edits gameimages in this manner, the metadata indicating in detail the status ofthe user's game play can be attached to the content data. Preferably,the metadata acquiring section 154 may acquire beforehand an applicationID (title ID) identifying the application and the informationidentifying the user as the player, and the editing processing section156 may add these items of information as metadata to the content data.The editing processing section 156 always attaches at least theapplication ID as metadata to the content data.

FIG. 6(a) shows an example in which the time at which an event occurredbecomes a start point according to which content data is extracted. Theend point for extraction of the content data is set to be apredetermined time period later (e.g., one minute) than the start point.In this example, the metadata acquiring section 154 is shown to haveacquired status data A, B, C, and D. The status data B and C collectedover the period from the start point to the end point are attached tothe content data by the editing processing section 156. This allows thecontent data extracted from between the start point and the end point tobe linked with the status data indicative of the play status of the gameduring that period.

With the above example, it was explained that the editing processingsection 156 extracts as the content data the image data for apredetermined time period starting from the time thebases-loaded-with-two-outs event occurred. As another example, the imagedata from the occurrence of the bases-loaded-with-two-outs event untilthe end of the event may be extracted as the content data. At the end ofthe bases-loaded-with-two-outs chance in the baseball game, the eventcode notifying section 114 notifies the content generating section 150of the event code indicating “bases-loaded-with-two-outs event ended,”along with the time information about the event occurrence time. Thisallows the editing processing section 156 to recognize the end of thebases-loaded-with-two-outs event. The editing processing section 156then reads from the ring buffer 176 the image data using the start pointdesignated by the time information about the time “thebases-loaded-with-two-outs event occurred” and the end point designatedby the time information about the time “the bases-loaded-with-two-outsevent ended,” the image data being extracted as the content data aboutthe bases-loaded-with-two-outs event. The editing processing section 156thus acquires the content data ranging from the start to the end of thebases-loaded-with-two-outs event. The editing processing section 156attaches to the content data the metadata acquired by the metadataacquiring section 154 during the period from the start point to the endpoint. When the editing processing section 156 edits game images in thismanner, the metadata indicating in detail the status of the user's gameplay can be attached to the content data.

FIG. 6(b) shows an example in which two event codes designate a startpoint and an end point. The time information for the first event codedesignates the start point at which extraction of content data started,and the time information for the next event code designates the endpoint at which extraction of the content data ended. In this example,the metadata acquiring section 154 acquires status data A, B, C, D, E,F, and G. The status data B, C, D, E, and F collected during the periodranging from the start point to the end point are attached to thecontent data by the editing processing section 156. This allows thecontent data extracted from between the start point and the end point tobe linked with the status data indicative of the play status of the gameduring that period.

The process of content data extraction may be performed by the editingprocessing section 156 using different types of event codes notified bythe event code notifying section 114. The typical event code types aredefined as follows:

(1) In an event code type, an event code designates the time an eventoccurred as the start point as well as the time a predetermined timeperiod later as the end point.

(2) In another event code type, an event code designating the startpoint is paired with another event code designating the end point.

Event code type identification information embedded in each event codeallows the editing processing section 156 to recognize the event codetype in use. In short, the difference between the two event code typesis that the type

(1) event code involves a single event code identifying both the startpoint and the end point, while the type (2) event code is a pair ofevent codes identifying the start point and the end point.

The type (1) event code includes information designating the periodranging from the start point to the end point. The period designated bythe event code may be 10 seconds, 30 seconds, or 60 seconds, forexample. Any one of these time periods may be selectively determined bythe game maker with regard to each event. Upon receipt of the type (1)event code, the editing processing section 156 reads the image dataranging from the event occurrence time (start point) to the time apredetermined period later (end point) from the ring buffer 176 as thecontent data. A corresponding step in the above example is when theimage data for one minute starting from the time thebases-loaded-with-two-outs event occurred is extracted and generated asthe content data. A variation of the type (1) event code may involvesupplementing the event code with time information designating the startpoint. For example, the event code may include information designatingthe time α second earlier than the event occurrence time as the startpoint and the time a predetermined time period later as the end point.Since the ring buffer 176 has the image data of the past 30 minutesrecorded therein, the editing processing section 156 can set the startpoint and the end point of the content data as needed by takingadvantage of the fact that the image data prior to the event occurrencecan also be embedded in the content data. In another example, the eventcode may include information designating the time β seconds later thanthe event occurrence time as the start time and the time a predeterminedtime period later as the end point. In this manner, the type (1) eventcode can designate the start point and the end point by itself.

The type (2) event code includes information identifying whether thisevent code designates the start point or the end point. In the exampleshown in FIG. 6(b), the event in which bases came to be loaded with twoouts is identified by the event code designating the start point, andthe event in which the bases-loaded-with-two-outs occurrence ended isidentified by the event code designating the end point. The event codeidentifying the bases-loaded-with-two-outs occurrence and the event codeidentifying the end of the bases-loaded-with-two-outs occurrence arehandled as an event code pair by the editing processing section 156. Forexample, each of the paired event codes includes information indicatingthat this event code is one of the pair. If the first code and thesecond code are assumed to be called an event start code and an eventend code respectively, the event start code includes informationindicating that an event started and the event end code includesinformation indicating that the event ended. Using this pair of eventcodes, the editing processing section 156 determines the start point andthe end point of the image data to be extracted. Preferably, the eventstart code and the event end code may include time informationdesignating the start point and the end point respectively. This enablesthe event start code to designate as the start point a time point beforeor after the time information in the event code and the event end codeto designate as the end point a time point before or after the timeinformation in the event code.

Explained below is another example of the type (2) event code withregard to the event of “overtaking the opponent's 2-point lead in aninning.” This event can take place when the player at bat is 2 pointsbehind in an inning. If the player is behind at the beginning of aninning, the event code notifying section 114 notifies the metadataacquiring section 154 of an event code indicating the 2-points-behindevent. The metadata acquiring section 154 accumulates the status datanotified after the occurrence of the 2-points-behind event so as toattach the accumulated status data to the content data about that event.As described above, when notified of the event code, the metadataacquiring section 154 may request current status data from the statusdata notifying section 116 so that the status data notifying section 166notifies the metadata acquiring section 154 of the requested currentstatus data. Alternatively, at every change in status, the status datanotifying section 116 may notify the metadata acquiring section 154 ofthe changed status data. For example, if batters are changed or if adefensive substitution is made, the status data notifying section 116recognizes a change in status, collects the status data at that point,and notifies the metadata acquiring section 154 of the collected statusdata. This enables the metadata acquiring section 154 to acquire andaccumulate detailed metadata up to the overtaking of the opponent's2-point lead. When the player has overtaken the opponent's 2-point leadduring the game, the event code notifying section 114 notifies themetadata acquiring section 154 of an event code indicating the event ofhaving overtaken the opponent's 2-point lead in an inning.

In the case above, the event code indicating the event of being 2 pointsbehind and the event code indicating the event of having overtaken theopponent's 2-point lead in an inning are handled as one pair of eventcodes by the editing processing section 156. Using this pair of eventcodes, the editing processing section 156 determines the start point andthe end point of the image data to be extracted. In this manner, theediting processing section 156 can extract from the ring buffer 176 thecontent data composed of a series of game images from the time theplayer was 2 points behind until the player overtook the opponent's2-point lead in the same inning. The editing processing section 156 canfurther add the status data about that time period as metadata to thecontent data.

Whether or not the player can overtake the opponent's 2-point lead in aninning depends on the progress of the game. The player may not be ableto overtake the opponent's lead. If that happens, the event codenotifying section 114 at the end of the inning notifies the metadataacquiring section 154 of an event code indicative of the end of theinning. Upon receipt of the event code indicating the inning end, themetadata acquiring section 154 recognizes the player's failure toovertake the opponent's 2-point lead. The metadata acquiring section 154may then discard the status data accumulated since the occurrence of the2-points-behind event. The editing processing section 156 does not editthe image data. A corresponding step in the example of FIG. 6(b) is whenthe second event end code cannot be acquired. In this case, the statusdata accumulated since acquisition of the event start code may bediscarded.

In the manner described above, the editing processing section 156 editsthe image data recorded in the ring buffer 176 so as to generate thecontent data supplemented with metadata. The metadata may includeinformation identifying the device type of the information processingdevice 10. If the game defines a user level indicating the user's degreeof skill, the metadata may further include user level information asanother piece of information about the user currently using theapplication. The editing processing section 156 can thus receive statusdata directly from the game and thereby add detailed information aboutthe current game play status as metadata to the content data.

An upload processing section 192 uploads generated content data to thecontent server 12. Specifically, the upload processing section 192uploads content data to the distribution server 14 so that other userscan download the content data for viewing. This allows the user's playvideo to be shared by many people, which is expected to raise thepopularity of the game.

How the content generating section 150 automatically generates contentdata was discussed above. Explained below is how the content generatingsection 150 generates content data as instructed by the user.

FIG. 7 shows a typical editing screen superimposed on a game screen.When the user operates the input device 6 to give a screen editinginstruction to the image generating section 130, an edited imagegenerating section 134 generates an editing screen 200. Alternatively,the user may operate a predetermined button (e.g., SHARE button 81) onthe input device 6 to display an editing button on the screen forselection. When the displayed editing button is selected, the screenediting instruction is sent to the image generating section 130.

On the editing screen 200, the user can determine the length of thevideo data to be uploaded. Specifically, the user determines a startpoint 202 and an end point 204 of image data of up to 30 minutes inlength, to determine the image data between the start point 202 and theend point 204 as the target to be uploaded. The user can move the startpoint 202 and the end point 204 as desired by operating the input device6. The image data is reproduced in an image display area 206. The userdetermines the start point 202 and the end point 204 of the video datato be uploaded while viewing the reproduced image and by operatingindicators 208 such as a play button, a fast-forward button, and arewind button. The left end of the image display area 202 denotes thebeginning of the image data recorded in the ring buffer 176 (i.e., imagerecorded 30 minutes earlier), and the right end of the image displayarea 202 represents the end of the image data (i.e., the latest image).Arrangements can be made so that when the user points a cursor to adesired position in the image display area 206, the image at thecorresponding position on the time base is displayed. Time information210 indicates the relative time of the reproduced image in the past 30minutes. The user determines the image data to be extracted by settingthe start point 202 and the end point 204 and by pressing the Enter key.

When the user operates the Enter key, an instruction acquiring section152 acquires an image data editing instruction as well as timeinformation about the start point 202 and the end point 204 set throughthe editing screen 200. Every time the status of the ongoing game ischanged, the status data notifying section 116 collects the status dataand notifies successively the metadata acquiring section 154 of thecollected status data along with the time information indicative of thecollection timing. The metadata acquiring section 154 stores allcollected status data together with all time information. The metadataacquiring section 154 may discard the metadata corresponding to theimage data overwritten and deleted from the ring buffer 176, i.e., themetadata having the time information of more than 30 minutes ago.

As described above, the image data recorded in the ring buffer 176 isfurnished with timestamps. The editing processing section 156 extractsfrom the ring buffer 176 the image data identified by the start point202 and the end point 204 and acquires the extracted image data as thecontent data. At the same time, the editing processing section 156attaches to the content data the status data acquired as metadata databy the metadata acquiring section 154 over the period between the startpoint and the end point of the image data. When the editing processingsection 156 edits the game images as described in accordance with theuser's editing instruction designating the start point and the endpoint, the metadata indicating in detail the status of the user's gameplay can be attached to the content data. The upload processing section192 transmits the content data to the content server 12.

In the manner described above, large quantities of content data are sentto and stored in the content server 12. In particular, with the editingprocessing section 156 automatically editing the image data using eventcodes, there is no need for the user's intervention. The content server12 is thus allowed automatically to collect large quantities of contentdata from numerous users. The user can determine whether the editingprocessing section 156 is allowed automatically to generate contentdata. If the user does not want automatic editing, the user need onlymake settings to inhibit automatic editing. With automatic editinginhibited, the user can still upload content data to the content server12 through the editing screen 200 shown in FIG. 7.

Discussed above was the scheme in which the information processingdevice 10 generates content data and uploads the generated data.Alternatively, the content server 12 may generate content data. Theprocess of image data generation is performed by the editing server 16.

As a precondition for the editing server 16 to edit image data, atransmission processing section 194 in the information processing device10 transmits to the editing server 16 the image data generated by thegame image generating section 132. The transmission processing section194 also transmits to the editing server 16 the event codes notified bythe event code notifying section 114 along with the time informationabout the event occurrence time. The transmission processing section 194further transmits to the editing server 16 the status data notified bythe status data notifying section 116 together with the time informationabout the status collection time. Preferably, every time the status ofthe ongoing game is changed, the status data notifying section 116 maynotify the transmission processing section 194 of the changed statusdata. Whenever notified of the status data, the transmission processingsection 194 may preferably transmit the status data to the editingserver 16.

FIG. 8 shows an internal structure of the editing server 16. The editingserver 16 includes a content generating section 300 and a communicatingsection 302. The content generating section 300, which is connected tothe network 3 via the communicating section 302, includes an image dataacquiring section 310, a metadata acquiring section 312, an editingprocessing section 314, and a recording section 316. The componentsshown in FIG. 8 as the functional blocks configured to perform diverseprocesses may be configured by hardware in the form of circuit blocks,memories, and LSI for example, or by software using programs loaded intoa memory for example. It will thus be appreciated by those skilled inthe art that these functional blocks are configured by hardware only, bysoftware only, or by a combination thereof in diverse forms and are notlimited to any one of such forms.

The image data acquiring section 310 acquires the image data distributedby the information processing device 10 and records the acquired imagedata to the recording section 316. The image data is transmitted in realtime and thus may be distributed live by the distribution server 14.When image data is being transmitted by the information processingdevice 10 to the distribution server 14 for live relay, the image dataacquiring section 310 may acquire the image data from the distributionserver 14.

The metadata acquiring section 312 acquires from the informationprocessing device 10 the event code and the status data together withtheir respective time information. On the basis of the time informationabout the event code and about the event occurrence time, the editingprocessing section 314 edits the image data recorded in the recordingsection 316.

The functions of the metadata acquiring section 312, editing processingsection 314, and recording section 316 in the content generating section300 are the same as those of the metadata acquiring section 154, editingprocessing section 156, and ring buffer 176, respectively, in theinformation processing device 10 and thus will not be discussed furtherwhere redundant. The recording section 316 need not be a ring buffer andmay have a larger storage area than the ring buffer 176. Thus theediting server 16 has the function of performing the image data editingprocess that is carried out inside the information processing device 10.The editing server 16, which performs the process of editing image data,has substantially the same image data editing function as theinformation processing device 10. In that sense, the editing server 16may also be called an information processing device equipped with thefunction of performing the image data editing process.

Whether the image data editing process is to be performed by theinformation processing device 10 or by the editing server 16 may bedetermined in consideration of a process load balance of the informationprocessing system 1. The editing processing section 314 identifies thestart point and the end point for image data extraction on the basis ofthe event code, and acquires content data by extracting from therecording section 316 the image data from between the start point andthe end point. The editing processing section 314 attaches to thecontent data the event code and status data acquired as metadata by themetadata acquiring section 312 over the period between the start pointand the end point. The content data generated by the editing processingsection 314 is sent to the content server 12 so that a plurality ofusers can download the content data for viewing. This allows the user'splay video to be shared by many people, which is expected to raise thepopularity of the game.

As described, the content server 12 has a plurality of pieces of contentdata stored therein. Because the content data is furnished with detailedmetadata provided by the game program, the user is given an environmentin which desired content can be downloaded by accessing the contentserver 12 through a browser and by entering relevant metadata as asearch keyword.

Described below is how desired content is downloaded efficiently inaccordance with the user's status.

<Content Receiving Function>

FIG. 9 shows an internal structure of the information processing device10 that implements the content receiving function. The informationprocessing device 10 has the processing section 100 and communicatingsection 102. The processing section 100 includes the applicationprocessing section 110, the image generating section 130, and a downloadprocessing section 120. The application processing section 110 performsprocesses on applications. The image generating section 130 performs theprocess of generating images for display on the output device 4. Thedownload processing section 120 performs the process of downloadingcontent accumulated in the content server 12.

The components shown in FIG. 9 as the functional blocks configured toperform diverse processes may be configured by hardware in the form ofcircuit blocks, memories, and LSI for example, or by software usingprograms loaded into a memory for example. It will thus be appreciatedby those skilled in the art that these functional blocks are configuredby hardware only, by software only, or by a combination thereof indiverse forms and are not limited to any one of such forms. Of thereference numerals in FIG. 9, those already used in FIG. 4 designatelike or corresponding functions. The communicating section 102 transmitsand receives content-related requests and data to and from the contentserver 12.

The game executing section 112 in the application processing section 110has the function of executing programs to make the game proceed inresponse to the user's operation input through the input device 6. Thegame image generating section 132 may be a GPU executing the renderingprocess, for example. Upon receipt of the result of processing from thegame executing section 112, the game image generating section 132generates the image data about the application (game) to be displayed onthe output section 4. FIG. 10 shows a typical game screen displayed onthe output device 4.

When any of the events set in the game program takes place duringexecution of the game, the event code notifying section 114 outputs anevent code indicating the event occurrence to the download processingsection 120. A metadata acquiring section 142 in the download processingsection 120 acquires the event code notified. Events are set in eachgame. For example, a fighting game may have events such as “fightstarted,” “physical strength halved,” “remaining time 10 seconds,” and“lethal move performed” set therein. The event code notifying section114 has the function of notifying the content generating section 150 ofthe event code of any of such set events when it takes place. The statusdata notifying section 116 notifies the content generating section 150of the status data about the game. The status data notifying section 116may notify the content generating section 150 of the status data inresponse to a request from the latter. Alternatively, upon a change inthe status for example, the status data notifying section 116 may notifythe content generating section 150 of the changed status data. At thistime, the status data notifying section 116 may give notification of thestatus data constituting the difference between the unchanged and thechanged status data. Alternatively, the status data notifying section116 may collect all changed status data and give notification thereof.

FIG. 10 shows a typical execution screen of a fighting game. The userstarts the fighting game by operating the input device 6. At any pointin time during the play, the user may operate the input device 6 togenerate an instruction to search for the image data related to thecurrent play status. For example, the user may generate the searchinstruction by operating the function button 80 to select a searchbutton displayed on the menu screen. Alternatively, the user maygenerate the search instruction by operating a button to which thesearch function is assigned. Because the information processing device10 of this embodiment is capable of recognizing the user's gesturethrough the camera 7, the user may perform a predetermined gesture tohave the search instruction generated. In any case, once the searchinstruction is generated, an instruction acquiring section 140 receivesthe generated search instruction.

The metadata acquiring section 142 acquires the event code and statusdata indicative of the execution status of the application. Every timean event takes place, the event code notifying section 114 givesnotification of the corresponding event code. Every time the status ischanged, the status data notifying section 116 collects the status dataand gives notification thereof. When the instruction acquiring section140 receives the search instruction, the metadata acquiring section 142sends as metadata the latest event code and the latest status data to arequest generating section 144. In turn, the request generating section144 generates a search request to search for the content that includesthe latest event code and the latest status data as metadata. Therequest generating section 144 transmits the search request to thecontent server 12.

Because the request generating section 144 gets the event code and thestatus data included as metadata in the search request, the searchrequest is embedded with various items of metadata representing theuser's current play status. As mentioned above, the metadata alwaysincludes a title ID. For example, the status data about the fightinggame may include the identity of the character used by the user, theidentity of the opponent's character, the remaining physical strength ofeach of the characters, and the remaining time. The status data mayfurther include the level representing the user's degree of skill orexperience points as well as the opponent's level.

FIG. 11 shows a structure that summarizes the functions of thedistribution server 14 and search server 18. What follows is anexplanation of these functions on the assumption that the content server12 possesses the functions. The content server 12 has a distributionprocessing section 320 and a communicating section 322. The distributionprocessing section 320, which is connected to the network 3 via thecommunicating section 322, includes a search request acquiring section330, a search processing section 332, a search result transmittingsection 334, a transmission request acquiring section 336, a contenttransmitting section 338, and a content recording section 340. If thesefunctions were to be divided between the distribution server 14 and thesearch server 18, the search request acquiring section 330, searchprocessing section 332, and search result transmitting section 334 mightbe included in the search server 18, while the transmission requestacquiring section 336, content transmitting section 338, and contentrecording section 340 might be included in the distribution server 14.It should be noted that this is only an example. The content recordingsection 340 records the content data furnished with metadata. It isassumed that each item of content data is provided with a content IDuniquely identifying the content data item in the content recodingsection 340. Whenever receiving content data, the content server 12 mayattach a content ID to the received content data for identification.

The components shown in FIG. 11 as the functional blocks configured toperform diverse processes may be configured by hardware in the form ofcircuit blocks, memories, and LSI for example, or by software usingprograms loaded into a memory for example. It will thus be appreciatedby those skilled in the art that these functional blocks are configuredby hardware only, by software only, or by a combination thereof indiverse forms and are not limited to any one of such forms.

The search request acquiring section 330 in the content server 12acquires a content search request sent from the information processingdevice 10. The search processing section 332 searches the contentrecording section 340 for content in accordance with the metadataincluded in the search request. Shown below are typical items ofmetadata included in the search request.

Title ID: XYZ

User name: A

Player character: TARO

Opponent character: JIRO

User level: 3

Player's remaining physical strength: 100%

Opponent's remaining physical strength: 100%

The search processing section 332 searches the content recording section340 for the content having the metadata that matches these items ofmetadata. The content server 12 may prepare beforehand a database ofextracted content metadata for search purposes. The search processingsection 332 may then reference this database in carrying out the searchprocess. The search processing section 332 first searches for thecontent having the same title ID. This step narrows the search targetsto the videos of the same game.

The search processing section 332 retains high-priority metadata as asearch condition for each game. The search processing section 332 mayhold a file in which metadata priority is registered for each item ofmetadata. For example, if the highest priority is set to require thatthe player character and the opponent character are to be the same each,the search processing section 332 searches for the content in which theplayer character is set to be TARO and the opponent character is set tobe JIRO.

Meanwhile, a viewing user may not find it interesting to watch a playvideo of another user whose level is quite different from that of theviewing user. Consequently, the highest priority may be set to requirethat the user's level be the same and the player character be the same.These settings cause the search processing section 332 to search for thecontent in which the player character is set to be TARO and the userlevel is set to be 3.

The priority of search conditions may thus be set as desired by eachgame maker. The priority is determined from the viewpoint of what kindsof videos the game maker wants the user to watch. The search processingsection 332 may generate search results of a plurality of categories.For example, the search processing section 332 may generate a searchresult under the condition of the highest priority being set, a searchresult under the condition of a friend of the user's who sent a searchrequest, a search result under the condition of a high evaluation byviewing users, and search results of other diverse categories. Thesearch result transmitting section 334 transmits the content searchresult to the information processing device 10. The search resultincludes information about each item of content, such as a content ID, astill image of the content, the name of the user who posted the content,and the date and time of the post.

The search condition may be set for each scene in the game. For example,in an adventure game where the story progresses, the subsequent progressof the game is determined in response to the player character's action.When the game scene is currently a turning point of the story, thesearch processing section 332 may generate search results of a pluralityof routes that may diverge from that point. The game may be configuredto output an event code when the character is at a turning point in thestory. In that case, the search processing section 332 may search forcontent metadata in accordance with the search condition linked to theevent code.

A search result acquiring section 160 in the information processingdevice 10 acquires the content search result. This is the result ofcontent search based on a plurality of items of metadata included in thesearch request. A candidate image generating section 136 generates, asthe search result, images regarding a plurality of content items thatare candidates to be downloaded, and outputs the generated images to theoutput device 4. This causes the game screen displayed on the outputdeice 4 to be replaced with a download candidate list screen.

FIG. 12 shows a typical search result screen. The candidate imagegenerating section 136 displays as the search result a list of imagesregarding a plurality of content items. On the search screen, capturedimages 220 are listed as still images of the content. Displayed on theside of each captured image 220 are the name of the posting user and thedate and time of the post. The top of the list displays a plurality ofsearch result tabs. The user can switch the search result for viewing byselecting any one of the tabs. A “keyword” tab is selected when the userinputs a new search keyword.

With the search result screen thus displayed, the user operates theinput device 6 to select the content item desired to be downloaded. Theinstruction acquiring section 140 in the information processing device10 receives a selection instruction that designates the content item.The selection instruction causes the request generating section 144 togenerate a content transmission request that includes the content ID ofthe selected content item. A request transmitting section 146 transmitsthe generated content transmission request to the content server 12.

The transmission request acquiring section 336 in the content server 12acquires the content transmission request. The content transmissionrequest causes the content transmitting section 338 to read from thecontent recording section 340 the content data identified by the contentID included in the transmission request and transmit the retrievedcontent data to the information processing device 10.

In the information processing device 10, a content acquiring section 162acquires the content data. A content image generating section 138generates an image of the acquired content and outputs the generatedimage to the output device 4. FIGS. 13 and 14 show typical play videosthat have been downloaded. FIG. 13 shows the player character attackingthe opponent character, and FIG. 14 depicts the player characterknocking out the opponent character.

When the information processing device 10 automatically attaches to thecontent search request the metadata indicative of the current playstatus in detail, the content server 12 can perform a search processthat matches the user's status. With each content item provided withdetailed metadata, the content server 12 can enhance the granularity ofsearch.

Whereas the present invention has been explained in conjunction with aspecific embodiment given above as an example, it should be understoodby those skilled in the art that the above-described composing elementsand various processes may be combined in diverse ways and that suchcombinations, variations and modifications also fall within the scope ofthis invention.

With the above embodiment, it was explained that the informationprocessing device 10 or the editing server 16 extracts image data duringexecution of the application to generate content data furnished withmetadata. When the content data is generated and recorded to the contentrecording section 340 as described above, the distribution server 14 caninstantaneously distribute to the information processing device 10 thecontent data requested to be transmitted.

In a variation of the embodiment, the content recording section 340 inthe content server 12 may record the image data yet to be extracted inlinkage with the metadata about the image data. The image data and themetadata may be recorded in separate recording devices. As describedabove in connection with the operation of the editing server 16 shown inFIG. 8, the transmission processing section 194 in the informationprocessing device 10 transmits to the content server 12 the image datagenerated by the game image generating section 132. The transmissionprocessing section 194 also transmits to the content server 12 the eventcode notified by the event code notifying section 114 together with thetime information about the event occurrence time. The transmissionprocessing section 194 further transmits to the content server 12 thestatus data notified by the status data notifying section 116 along withthe time information about the status collection time. The transmissionprocessing section 194 also transmits to the content server 12 the eventcode and status data acquired as metadata by the metadata acquiringsection 154 while the image data is being transmitted to the contentserver 12.

In the content server 12, these data items (i.e., image data andmetadata) are related to each other when recorded to the contentrecording section 340. With the embodiment above, it was explained thatthe editing server 16, upon acquiring an event code, edits the imagedata to generate the content data. In this variation, the editing server16 at this point does not generate content data.

At this point, the search request acquiring section 330 may receive asearch request from the user. The search request causes the searchprocessing section 332 to reference the metadata recorded in the contentrecording section 340 to search for the content that matches themetadata included in the search request. The search result transmittingsection 334 transmits the search result to the information processingdevice 10. The content is then selected on the information processingdevice 10, and the transmission request acquiring section 336 receives acontent transmission request. At this point, the editing server 16generates the content data by editing the image data on the basis of theevent code as part of the metadata included in the search request. Thatis, the editing server 16 generates the content data by editing theimage data after receiving the content transmission request. The contenttransmitting section 338 transmits the edited content data to theinformation processing device 10. In this manner, the editing server 16generates the content data as needed. This contributes to reducing theload of the editing process.

In this variation, the transmission processing section 194 transmits theimage data to the content server 12 in real time, whereas the metadataneed not be transmitted in real time. That is, after completing thetransmission of the image data, the transmission processing section 194may transmit to the content server 12 the metadata acquired by themetadata acquiring section 154 during transmission of the image data. Inanother example, the image data need not be transmitted in real time bythe information processing deice 10. Instead, the image data and themetadata recorded by the information processing device 10 may betransmitted collectively to the editing server 16.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

1 Information processing system

10 Information processing device

12 Content server

14 Distribution server

16 Editing server

18 Search server

100 Processing section

102 Communicating section

110 Application processing section

112 Game executing section

114 Event code notifying section

116 Status data notifying section

120 Download processing section

130 Image generating section

132 Game image generating section

134 Edited image generating section

136 Candidate image generating section

138 Content image generating section

140 Instruction acquiring section

142 Metadata acquiring section

144 Request generating section

146 Request transmitting section

150 Content generating section

152 Instruction acquiring section

154 Metadata acquiring section

156 Editing processing section

160 Search result acquiring section

162 Content acquiring section

170 Recording section

172 recording controlling section

174 Writing/reading section

176 Ring buffer

190 Sharing processing section

192 Upload processing section

194 Transmission processing section

200 Editing screen

300 Content generating section

302 Communicating section

310 Image data acquiring section

312 Metadata acquiring section

314 Editing processing section

316 Recording section

320 Distribution processing section

322 Communicating section

330 Search request acquiring section

332 Search processing section

334 Search result transmitting section

336 Transmission request acquiring section

338 Content transmitting section

340 Content recording section

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention may be applied to the technical field in which theviewing of content images such as those of games is implemented.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing device comprising: ametadata acquiring section that acquires a plurality of metadataindicative of a status of application execution from a currentlyexecuted application; an instruction acquiring section that receives asearch instruction from a user; a request generating section thatgenerates a search request for content including the plurality ofmetadata, wherein the search request includes a ranking of the pluralityof metadata; a request transmitting section that transmits the searchrequest to a server; a content acquiring section that acquires aplurality of content items from the server, wherein the plurality ofcontent items is determined based on the ranking of the plurality ofmetadata; and a display section that displays the plurality of contentitems to the user in a graphical user interface (GUI).
 2. Theinformation processing device according to claim 1, wherein theplurality of metadata comprises a title of the currently executedapplication, a username of the user, and a current level of the user. 3.The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein theplurality of metadata further comprises a name of a character controlledby the user, a name of an opponent character, a strength level of thecharacter controlled by the user, and a strength level of the opponentcharacter.
 4. The information processing device according to claim 1,wherein the ranking of the plurality of metadata is determined inadvance by a manufactured of the currently executed application.
 5. Theinformation processing device according to claim 1, wherein the searchinstruction is set differently for different sections of the currentlyexecuted application.
 6. The information processing device according toclaim 1, wherein the search instruction from the user is provided usingan input device of the information processing device.
 7. The informationprocessing device according to claim 1, wherein the GUI displays, foreach content item, a posting user of the content item, and a date andtime of the content item.
 8. The information processing device accordingto claim 1, wherein the GUI comprises a plurality of tabs, wherein afirst tab of the plurality of tab includes the plurality of contentitems.
 9. The information processing device according to claim 8,wherein a second tab of the plurality of tabs includes a list of contentitems posted by friends of the user.
 10. The information processingdevice according to claim 1, wherein the GUI comprises a plurality oftabs, and wherein the plurality of content items are divided among theplurality of tabs according to predetermined criteria.
 11. Theinformation processing device according to claim 1, wherein the GUIfurther comprises: a keyword tab in addition to the plurality of tabs,wherein selection of the keyword tab prompts the user to perform akeyword search.
 12. The information processing device according to claim1, wherein selection of a first content item from the plurality ofcontent items causes the first content item to be downloaded to theinformation processing device.
 13. The information processing deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the plurality of metadata furthercomprises an event code, wherein the event code is indicative of anoccurrence of an event set in the currently executed application.
 14. Aninformation processing device comprising: a metadata acquiring sectionthat acquires a plurality of metadata indicative of a status ofapplication execution from a currently executed application; aninstruction acquiring section that receives a search instruction from auser; a request generating section that generates a plurality of searchrequests for content items, wherein a first search request of theplurality of search requests includes the plurality of metadata, whereina second search request of the plurality of search requests includes arequest for content items posted by friends of the user related to thecurrently executed application, a request transmitting section thattransmits the plurality of search requests to a server; a contentacquiring section that acquires, for each of the plurality of searchrequests, a plurality of content items from the server, a displaysection that displays the plurality of content items to the user in agraphical user interface (GUI), wherein the GUI includes a first tabincluding the plurality of content items related to the first searchrequest and a second tab including the plurality of content itemsrelated to the second search request.